Ethiopia 2012: Lalibela

Ethiopia (April-May 2012): Lake Tana and around

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Lalibela is famed for its rock-hewn churches. Known initially as Roha, it was a capital of the Zagwe dynasty (from approximately 900 to 1270). It was later named after King Lalibela, the king of this dynasty (from 1181 to 1221) who is credited for the construction of the churches. The churches date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The 11 churches in Lalibela are divided into two clusters, the northwestern cluster (6 churches) and southeastern one (4 churches). One church, Bet Giyorgis, stands apart from these two clusters. In each of the two clusters, the churches are interconnected by narrow passages and tunnels. Many of the churches are monolithic. The largest, Bet Medhane Alem is 11.5m in height and covers a floor area of almost 800sq.m. Together the architectural design, the carving process planning, and the actual hewing of the churches, especially the monolithic ones, form a gigantic engineering prowess: both their inside and outside are carved from the same rock!

Although the churches in Lalibela are more impressive by their sheer size and overall architecture, I tend to prefer the rock-hewn churches of Tigray, some of which actually predate the Lalibela ones. The natural cliff setting of most Tigrayan churches is not only more spectacular; it has also better protected these churches, especially their extraordinary paintings, against moisture. The builders of the Lalibela churches had created excellent drainage ditches, but these have been disrupted by successive earthquakes and over time several churches have greatly suffered from water damage. Recently, all churches in Lalibela, except Bet Giyorgis, have been covered by ″temporary″ protection roofs. Unfortunately, these roofs, the structures supporting them, and various scaffoldings have a very negative impact on the appearance of the churches and the overall atmosphere of the site. To see photos of rock-hewn churches of Tigray that I took during other trips, click the following links: 1973, 2013, 2015.

Left: One of the remaining old house of Lalibela. (Such houses were built using rocks excavated during the excavation of the churches. Very few of them remain today.) Right: Parishioners in the town′s main street going to mass.

Churches of the northwestern cluster:

Exterior walls of the church of Bet Medhane Alem. This large monolithic church is supported by 72 pillars, half outside, half inside.

Inside the church of Bet Medhane Alem.

Priest in the church of Bet Medhane Alem.

Entrance and portion of the facade of the church of Bet Maryam.

Paintings and stone carvings inside the church of Bet Maryam.

Entrance facade of the small church of Bet Meskel (covering only 40sq.m).

Left: Entrance of the twin churches of Bet Golgotha and Bet Mikael (also known as Bet Debre Sina). Right: Inside the church of Bet Golgotha. (Bet Golgotha and Bet Mikael are hewn in the same semi-monolith and share the same entrance.)

Stone carvings of saints in the walls of the church of Bet Golgotha.

Left: Small ornate windows in an exterior wall shared by the churches of Bet Golgotha and Bet Mikael. Right: Tomb of Adam, a hermit cell next to the church of Bet Golgotha.

Bet Gyorgis:

Carved in the shape of a cruciform tower, this isolated monolith church has become the most iconic in Lalibela, perhaps because it is the only one not covered by a modern shelter roof.